Solution: Something that may be hard to drink - NYT Crossword

Another confusing comestible clue, the “Beverage with an oxymoronic name” at 31A is a term for strong liquor: FIREWATER. This is an example of a calque, a loan translation, as the Ojibwe term for whiskey combined “fire” and “liquid.” It is also an offensive term, although it’s been in the crossword five times previously. Right beneath this entry is 34A; “Something that may be hard to drink?” solves to CIDER, which becomes “hard,” or alcoholic, with the addition of fermentation-causing yeast. (Apparently, unpasteurized and unrefrigerated cider can turn boozy all by itself over time.)